Heart patients not taking advantage of aspirin's benefits

(Dallas-AP) -- A new study says too few heart patients are taking aspirin to prevent another heart attack.<br><br>The benefits of aspirin are widely-known and it's very inexpensive. But the study suggests

Monday, March 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Dallas-AP) -- A new study says too few heart patients are taking aspirin to prevent another heart attack.

The benefits of aspirin are widely-known and it's very inexpensive. But the study suggests there's a substantial number of patients who are at higher risk because they aren't taking aspirin.

Experts say regular use of aspirin reduces the risk of blood clots -- which can trigger heart attacks. It's also believed aspirin reduces the risk of stroke.

Researchers in Boston found that only 26 percent of nearly eleven thousand heart patients told their doctors they were using
aspirin regularly.

More men than women and more young adults than patients over 80 were more likely to take their aspirin.

The study is in today's issue of Circulation, published by the American Heart Association.